A quiet and memorable story of how paddling in the wilderness forces two unlikely friends to face their grief and embrace...
This poignant tale explores grief through a 15-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, both of whom have lost infant siblings.
For 10 months after his newborn sister's death, Rakmen Cannon has grudgingly joined his mother at "dead baby club," his term for weekly bereavement support meetings in their Portland, Oregon, neighborhood. There, he recognizes his biology teacher, Leah Tatlas, and meets her preteen daughter, Jacey, who instantly grows attached to him. At the end of the school year, Leah invites Rakmen to join them on a summer trip to a remote lake cabin in Canada. Though he suspects it's a terrible idea, Rakmen reluctantly agrees to go, because his parents announce they need to work on their crumbling marriage. The dilapidated cabin leaves little exciting for Rakmen to do—and occasionally little for readers to follow, though it does provide the setting for quiet moments of introspection and friendship between sullen Rakmen and curious Jacey. The pace builds during a tense final act—an unexpectedly frightening canoe-camping trip the three of them undertake at Leah's insistence. A few plot twists seem unnecessarily harrowing, and the story's initial pace coupled with the unsettling subject matter of infant deaths may cause readers to occasionally stop and process. But Rakmen’s and Jacey's journeys to make peace with their sadness make the emotional ride worthwhile.
A quiet and memorable story of how paddling in the wilderness forces two unlikely friends to face their grief and embrace their power . (Fiction. 12-17)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4677-7590-8
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
An emotional debut that celebrates the joy that comes from healing.
Two teens’ summer romance gets complicated by a long-kept family secret.
Jupiter Moon Ray Evans’ parents were in a car accident the day she was born—her father died, and her mom suddenly became both a widow and a mother. Ray is named after the dad she never knew, and his absence is a tangible part of her family. She hates that her birthday can never just be about her, but this year her best friend from boarding school is coming to Memphis, and they are celebrating at the roller rink, the one place Ray can get lost in her own world. While skating she meets Orion, and for both of them, it is love at first sight. Orion is also missing a piece of his family: Almost 10 years ago his little sister was hit and killed by a bus, and his happy family was destroyed. Orion finds a feeling of peace in swimming, which helps with his sensory processing disorder as well as providing an escape from his dad’s grief. Although the two Black teens will be in different states in the fall, they tentatively pursue a relationship. However, when a family secret that links them is revealed, they must decide if they can ever be anything to one another. Through a blend of prose and found poetry, this quiet novel thoughtfully explores the impact of absence on love.
An emotional debut that celebrates the joy that comes from healing. (Fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-42925-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
A summer romance that’s a delightful read in any season.
Cass Adler has a rule: “Absolutely no dating summer girls. Ever.” Unfortunately for her, Birdie Gordon is irresistible.
Cass is a hardworking lifeguard on the beaches of Newport, Rhode Island. She loves her friends, family, and neighborhood—and hates the entitled summer tourists. Cass is headed to MIT in the fall, and she has to make as much money as she can to help pay her way. When wealthy George Gordon, who owns the many rental properties Cass’ father manages, offers to pay Cass to keep an eye on his wild, flighty daughter, Cass reluctantly agrees. But between the forced proximity and emotional memories of their childhood friendship, Cass finds herself caught in Birdie’s orbit. Birdie, on the other hand, has been nursing a secret crush on Cass for years. Both girls are white and bisexual; Birdie is a well-known social media influencer with a boyfriend. The narrative not only chronicles the teens’ slow-burn romance, but also deftly addresses the underlying issues present in their relationship, including wealth, class differences, the privilege of being able to come out on your own terms, and the volatile nature of social media. This fast-paced enemies-to-lovers romance will keep readers turning the pages, eager to see whether Cass realizes that not all summer girls are the same, and that some, in fact, might be worth everything.
A summer romance that’s a delightful read in any season. (Romance. 13-17)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9780593696897
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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